Certass is a government approved Competent Person Scheme (CPS) in England and Wales and was granted its license on 6th April 2006. You can check the validity of our government approval by visiting the Communities and Local Government’s website at www.communities.gov.uk . Certass is independently checked annually by UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service)

Competent Person Schemes were set up by the government to provide an alternative to submitting a building notice or to using an approved Local Authority inspector for certain home improvements. Members of Competent Person Schemes are able to self-certify that their work meets current building regulations and are also able to register the work with the local authority on behalf of the homeowner.

Since 1st April 2002, all replacement window and door installations must be covered by a Building Regulation Compliance Certificate issued either from a member of an authorised Competent Person Scheme or directly from the building control department of your local authority.

Please telephone our offices on 01292 292099 to check that your Certass contractor has registered your installation with us. If your details are registered we will check the date your certificate was posted to you. If you haven’t received your certificate and it’s within 28 days of our original date of issue, we will send you another certificate free of charge by 2nd class post witihin 7 working days. There will be a small charge of £18 inclusive of VAT for any certificate we re-issue where 28 days or more has passed since the original date of issue. If your installation is not registered with us, you will need to contact your contractor and arrange for them to register the works with us. We will notify your local authority on your behalf and issue your Building Regulation Compliance Certificate with working 7 days.

You will need to apply for consent from the building control department of your local authority before beginning your installation works. Your local authority will make a charge when inspecting the completed works.

Your contractor will be able to advise you which Competent Person Scheme he is a member of. Before agreeing or making any payment to the contractor for the intended works, it is always best to independently verify with the scheme directly that a valid membership is held for the contractor.

All homeowners having replacement windows and door installations fitted after 1st April 2002 are required to have a Building Regulation Compliance Certificate for their completed works. It is important that you can produce a Building Regulation Compliance Certificate to show that installation complied with the building regulations at the time the work was carried out. If the installation does not comply with building regulations, the work will not be legal and you could be prosecuted and fined up to £5000.

Yes, providing it is replacing a window in your roof of exactly the same size. If it’s a different size or if you’re installing a brand new window in your roof, you will need planning permission from your local authority.